This exhibition is centered on nautical instruments used in the pre-modern era during voyages of exploration. More importantly, the exhibition will highlight how these often-inconspicuous instruments shaped the narrative behind these voyages. The exhibition begins by giving an overview of the navigational challenges experienced during this time period. It then moves into a discussion of the contexts of these voyages, which were often centered around an ideology commonly known as “imperial geography.” Geography was the premier science of the day, buttressing empires as they traveled the globe. Great resources were poured into this science because knowing where you were and how to get where you were going meant you would have a hand up in the competition. Latitude and longitude were, and still are, the defining attributes of your position on a globe. Latitude could easily be obtained during this time period, but longitude posed more of a problem. The next part of the exhibition explores this “road to crack longitude” in detail, highlighting the basics, its historical background, the actors involved, as well as the instruments. The instrument that takes center stage is the marine chronometer, a precision time piece used at sea to determine longitude. The marine chronometer was the leading frontrunner to tackle the longitude problem during this time, but, as you will see, the battle was hard-fought. The marine chronometer posed numerous technical challenges when being built, taking decades to get them to work on a moving ship. There was also a deeply corporeal element to the chronometer, both with their use at sea, and with the actors involved in making them. The exhibition ends with, well, the exhibition. Five important nautical instruments that helped structure the voyages during the 18th century will be highlighted.
When navigating the website, start with the leftmost tab: the home page. Then move from left to right. If a tab has a drop-down menu, then read the list from top to bottom, and then move to the next tab to the right. Also, if your heart desires, play this seashore music with seagulls in the background on low, which can be found at this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WcY8s8seKDA. The hope is that you will be able to immerse yourself and put yourself in the shoes of someone who was involved with these voyages in the 18th century. Other than that, enjoy the exhibition!!